An Exercise in Lip Reading

This is what I get asked about by nearly everyone almost immediately after they learn I am deaf. How does it work? DOES it actually work? Can you hear me when I cover my mouth and mumble? To the last one - of course I *hear* you, but what you are saying does not come out as an intelligent, understandable language.

I found this exercise on the website for Australia's Royal Institute for the Deaf and Blind. Just a sidenote, both Australia and the UK are light years ahead of the USA in terms of advocacy, education, awareness, and resources for the deaf community.

From: http://www.ridbc.org.au/

Lipreading

Only 50% of the English language is visible on the lips. Lip reading is very difficult, and requires great concentration. People with hearing impairment sometimes use lip reading to supplement their existing hearing.

Having a hearing impairment doesn't always mean that everything gets quieter. Often, a hearing impairment means that you miss out on certain sounds, but can hear others. For instance, you might be able to hear vowels like "o" and "u" (which are lower frequency) but miss sounds like "s" or "f" (which are higher frequency).

Read the following sentence, preferably outloud to a friend or family member:

"...en ou av iid co-o-rin tur o sh"


What do you think that sentence was supposed to mean?


It means:
"When you have finished colouring, turn over your sheet."